Cars have added numerous technological advancements over the last several years, and 2012 should be no different. CBS Money Watch recently previewed some of the most-anticipated additions to be unveiled in the coming months.

Perhaps the most impressive way with which cars have been using technology is to improve safety. This will be at the front and center of some 2012 models, which have added accident avoidance systems. The Chevrolet Equinox, for one, has a lane departure warning, which alerts drivers if they are drifting, and a collision warning features that automatically puts on the brakes.

"We expect these new systems to be [available] on many mainstream models within a few years," Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told the news source.

There are also advancements being made that will improve the overall driving experience. A number of cars, including the Dodge Charger, have been outfitted with innovative eight-speed transmissions that significantly boost the cars' gas mileage.

Drivers looking to take advantage of some of the recent technology in used cars may want to head to New Jersey Auto Auction, which offers plenty of makes and models at affordable prices. 

Scientists at Germany's Free University have created one of the first self-driving cars in the world. Using a specially outfitted Volkswagen Passat, the team has been testing the car in the streets of Berlin all summer long, and according to the Associated Press the results have been impressive.

The process certainly hasn't been an easy one. The research team has been working on the project for around four years and put in about $550,000 worth of special devices on board the Passat including computers, electronics and a precision satellite navigation system.

"The vehicle can recognize other cars on the road, pedestrians, buildings and trees up to 70 meters around it, and even see if the traffic lights ahead are red or green and react accordingly," the head of the research team Raul Rojas told the AP and other reporters at a presentation.

The team was allowed to test the car in real traffic as long as there was a safety driver behind the wheel – even if he or she was not touching anything. It was also allowed to be tested in special areas without the safety net.

The car is similar to one Google has been testing in the street of Nevada, though the company has been very secretive about its successes thus far.

Although most states require drivers to have insurance, that hasn't stopped a large swath of Americans from doing without it. Industry analysts say that about one in seven drivers don't have coverage in response to the struggling economy, USA Today reports.

The number of drivers lacking coverage does not come cheap, either. Statistics have shown that uninsured motorists cost insured drivers $10.8 billion in 2007. The state with the largest percentage of offenders was Mississippi, where a whopping 28 percent of people behind the wheel are uninsured, despite the fact laws mandate it.

"It is costly to track down violators of compulsory insurance laws, and unless the odds of getting caught are high and the penalties severe, drivers will continue to flout the law," Loretta Worsters, president of the Insurance Information Institute, told the publication.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Massachusetts, which only had 4 percent of drivers uninsured. New Hampshire is the only state without some sort of similar law in place.

Motorists looking to purchase insurance for their new car should consider a few tips before doing so – including finding competitive quotes and reviewing your previous driving record, Edmunds reports.